General
MacArthur's famous quote, "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away,"
may characterize some veterans' latter lives, but not those of the fabled
"Band of Brothers" WWII paratroopers. In
2004, the Valor Studios staff proposed a new and ambitious mission: would
the Band of Brothers veterans be willing to travel overseas to meet, greet,
and boost the morale of their biggest friends and fans, the men and women
of the U.S. military?

Despite
being in their early 80s, the Band of Brothers eagerly re-enlisted for the
tour, which Valor Studios agreed to fund, from airfares to lodging to meals.
Valor Studios named the mission a “military appreciation tour.”

The
first tour occurred December 13 - 19, 2004, when veterans Buck Compton, Bill
Guarnere, Babe Heffron, Don Malarkey, Earl McClung, and Shifty Powers visited
the troops of the Army’s 1st Armored Division in Frankfurt, Germany.
There, 1st AD tour host Sergeant First Class William Maloney "re-actived"
the veterans for duty as they began their overseas mission. During the ensuing
days, the veterans made speeches, attended banquets, and signed autographs
for the 1st AD soldiers. On December 16, the veterans gave the 1st Armored
troops private battlefield tours of their former fighting positions in the
woods north of Bastogne, Belgium, on the 60th anniversary of the Battle of
the Bulge. Accompanying the veterans were Valor Studios staff members, Adam,
Bryan, and Bob Makos, along with Irene Malarkey, Don Malarkey’s wife.

For
the second tour, Valor Studios teamed with the noted U.S.O. organization to
bring the Band of Brothers veterans and actors to Hawaii, Japan, and Korea.
There, at bases, outposts, and even a firing range, the veterans and actors
visited soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. Participating were veterans
Buck Compton, Don Malarkey, Earl McClung, and Shifty Powers, along with actors,
Eion Bailey (David Webster), James Madio (Frank Perconte), and Peter Hills
(Shifty Powers).

The
military’s response to the “military appreciation tours”
can be judged on the faces in the photographs below. Where will the Band of
Brothers deploy to next? Stay tuned to ValorStudios.com for further announcements.
One thing is for certain, with their services in need, rather than fade away,
the Band of Brothers veterans plan to continue answering duty’s call
and Valor Studios will stand beside them.